Rail-joint.



No. 802,794. PATBNTED OCT. 24, 190

l H. ALLEN.

RAIL JOINT.

.APPLICATION FILED FEB.Z4,19O5J.

HOSEA ALLEN, OF OILCITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed February 24, 1905. Serial No. 247,144..

.'l'o LZ/f whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, I-IosnA ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oil City, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which theV following is a specification.

rl`his invention relates to rail-joints. My rail-joint, 'as is the case with those of the ordinary character, involves one or more fishplates and bolts carrying nuts, the bolts, as usual, passing through registering perforations in the rails and fish-plates.

It is one of the primary objects of my present invention to hold these bolts against vibration and to secure a like function with respect to the nuts. As is Well known, bolts and nuts of the ordinary kind are subjected to material vibration owing to the jar incident to the travel of trains over the same. I provide a bolt of a novel construction, wherein the head cannot be burst off. The bolts I prefer to make of iron to fit on to fish-plates of like material, so as to add to the effectiveness of the joint. The latter is simple in construction and can be inexpensively made. As a matter of fact, the expense attending its manufacture 'is practically the same as that accompanying the production. of a railjoint of the common form.

In the drawings accompanying and forming apart of this specificationlillustrate acertain arrangement of parts embracing my invention, which I will set forth in detail in the following description; but I do not restrict myself to the precise disclosure thus made,

for material and divers variations may be adopted within the scope of my invention involved in the claims succeeding said description.

In the drawings, Figure l is an inside face view of a rail-joint including my invention. Fig. -2 is an outside face view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, the section being taken through the perforations in the fish-plates and web of a rail, through which perforations a bolt extends, the latter being in elevation. Fig. l is an inside face view of one of the nuts shown in the preceding figure. Fig. 5 is a detail in section, on an enlarged scale, showing a part of the corrugated fish-plate and a corrugated nut engaging the same.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the different views.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown two abutting or substantially abutting rails, each being designated by 2 and being of the ordinary construction. Extend.- ing across the joint between the rails and fitting against the opposite faces of the Webs of said railsI represent two fish-plates, each designated by 3. rl`he fish-plates and Webs of the rails have registering perforations to receive bolts, as 4, the nuts of the bolts being designated by 5.

The nuts may either bear against the inner or outer fish-plates, as individual preferment may dictate. 'I hey are represented as abutting against the outer fish-plate. The fishplates and nuts have their opposing or engaging surfaces roughened to prevent vertical motion of the nuts when they are set up. This roughening may be secured in any desirable way--for example, by corrugating the said opposing surfaces. The outer fishplate 3 is represented as having on its outer surface longitudinal corrugations, which produce, as will be evident, alternate beads and channels, while the nuts have on their inner surfaces similar corrugations. When. the

nuts are set up solidly in place, the beaded.

or salient portions thereof will fit solidly and firmly into the channels or grooves in the fish-plate, so as to prevent motion of the nuts, and this relation is assured by forming the bolts in a novel manner. I do not limit myself to any particular shape of nut 5, as the same may be of any form. It is represented as being round.

The end of each bolt 4 opposite that having the externally-threaded surface is provided with a head, as 6, serving as an operating-head and which is of such a shape as to receive an implement for driving the bolt home.` The heads are shown as polygonal, a square shape being a satisfactory one, so that they can be set by an ordinary wrench used by trackmen. lt will be seen that the heads 6 are of less diameter than the greatest diameter of the respective ltapered portions 7, whereby the advantages herein set forth for said bolts are assured. From this it will be evident that said heads can, should occasion require, enter the openings in the fish-plate in which the tapered IUO IOS

portions 7 fit. lt may be necessary for the heads to enter these openings or'holeswhen the latter are worn away, as would be the case with old fish-plates, to which l can successfully adapt my joint` Even with new plates it might be necessary for the heads 6 to enter"said'openings, so that in any case l can set the nuts 5 up, and do this simply by turning the bolts through the agency of their IO heads without touching the nuts. By virtue of the construction of the heads they do not engage the fish-plate, so that there is no possibility of the heads being stripped off, as is a common occurrence in those bolts the I5 heads of which abut against sh-plates.

Between the head 6 and externally-threaded portion of each bolt there is a tapered surface 7, such surface, as will be evident, tapering inward from. the head toward the thread- 2o ed end of the bolt, so that when the bolt is turned it will be moved or advancedlongitudinally, while at the same time the nut thereupon will be drawn inwardly solidly against the sh-plate and to such an extent that the z5 `nut and bolt will be prevented from vibration, even though the engaging surfaces of the nut and fish-plate be plain.

ln operation the rails 2 will be laid in the customary manner and the fish-plates 3 3o will be placed against the opposite faces of the webs of the two abutting rails to bring the perforations of the fish-plates in register with those in the webs, following which the threaded ends of the bolts will be 3 5 Apassed through the registering perforations from the inner side of the oint. The bolts, as will be understood, will extend entirely through said perforations, so as to cause their threaded ends to project beyond the outer 4o face of the outer fish-plate 3. l/Vhen this is done, the nuts 5 will be applied tothe projecting ends of the bolts and turned thereupon until they strike the outer 'fish-plate, lowinU this the bolts will be drawn back slightly until the projecting portions of the corrugated surfaces of the nuts enter the channels of the corrugated surface of the fish-plate. After this the heads 6 of the bolts will be engaged by wrenches and turned, 5o and as they are turned they are advanced, while the nuts 5 are drawn farther inward until they are in the firmest possible solid relation with the outer sh-plate. As the bolts are set the tapered surfaces 7 thereof 5 5 will solidly engage the walls of the perforations in the inner fish-plate, so that when the bolts are finally set they, as well as the nuts, are immovably held in position.

l have described in detail the manner of 6o making a joint and have set u that the bolts are assed through the perforations in the fish-p ates and rails from the inner sidev of the latter, The operation can as well be reversed, as will be gathered from what l have hereinbefore stated. l/Vhile the nuts Foli and bolts are held immovably, the outerl fishplate, by virtue of its engagement with the nut, and the inner fish-plate, by reason ofits engagement with the tapered surfaces of the bolts, will be equally firmly held in operative position. lnY practice the perforations through the webs of the rail will be made of slightly greater diameter than those in the fish-plates, so as to permit of the contraction and expansion of the rails without affecting the relation of the bolts, nuts, and fish-plates.

The corrugations upon the outer fish-plate, or they maybe upon the inner one, as will be understood from what l have hereinbefore stated, are directly formed therein, and they can be rolled in the fish-plate while the latter is being made. The same applies to the corrugations upon the nuts. As the corrugavtions are directly upon the fish-plates and nuts, l provide -a structure that is simple.

Vhen a bolt 5 is set, the tapered surface 7 thereof will be wedged against the wall of a perforation in the cooperating fish-plate, so as to preclude possibility of movement of the bolt. Not only do l hold each bolt firmly in place with a wedge-like action, but l secure the same result by theform of the joint illustrated with respect to the nuts and the coperating fish-plate. This result l accomplish in the present instance by the corrugations upon the nuts and cooperating fish-plates. The corrugations may be of any suitable character but they are represented as angular in cross-section. The outer extremities ofthe projecting portions are shown as blunt or truncated, so that when the projecting `portions of a nut are fitted in thc channels of the fish-plate they cannot strike the bottoms of said channels, by virtue of which when the nuts are fully set they will be solidly wedged in place. l therefore prevent movement of the bolts, their nuts, and of the fish-plates by the described wedging action at the several places indicated.

Having thus described my invention,what l claim is- 1. The combination of a pair of abutting rails, fish-plates fitted against the rails, the latter and the fish-plates having registering perforations, boltspassing through the perforations and carrying nuts, the inner surfaces of thenuts being corrugated and the outer surface of the adjacent lish-plate being directly corrugated for engagement by the corrugated surfaces of the nuts. i

2. The combination of a pair of abutting rails, fish-plates fitted to the rails, the latter and the fish-plates having'registering perforations, bolts passing throughthe perforations and having threaded ends, and nuts fitted on to said threaded ends and to bear against one of the fish-plates, each bolt, at the kend thereof opposite that provided with the threaded surface, having a head for engagement by an operating implement and Ico IIO

the said tapered surfaces being adapted to fit against the walls of the perforation. in the fish-plate opposite that against which said nuts bear and the diameter of each head being less than the greatest diameter of said tapered portion.

3. rl`he combination of a pair of abutting rails, fish-plates ilitted to the rails, the latter and the fish-plates having registering perforations, bolts passing through. the perfora tions and having threaded ends, and nuts `fitted on to said threaded ends and to bear against one of the fish-plates, each bolt, at the end thereof opposite that provided with the threaded surface, having a head for engagement by an operating implement and also having an inwardly-tapering surface between said head and the threaded portion, the said tapered surfaces being adapted to fit against the walls of the perforation in the Vfish-plate opposite that against which said nuts bear, saidv nuts and adjacent fish-plate having engaging roughened surfaces, the diameter of each bolt-head being less than the greatest diameter of the said tapered portion.

ll. The combination of a pair of abutting rails, fish-plates fitted to the rails, the latter and the fish-plates having registering perforations, bolts passing through the perforations and having threaded ends, and nuts Afitted on to said threaded ends and to bear against one of the fish-plates, each bolt, at the end thereof opposite that provided with the threaded surface, having a head for engagement by an operating implement and also having an inwardly-tapering surface between said head and the threaded portion, the said tapered surfaces being adapted to [it against the walls of the perforation in the lishplate opposite that against which said nuts bear, said nuts and adjacent fish-plate having engaging corrugated surfaces, the diameter of each bolthead being less than the greatest diameter ofthe said tapered portion.

5. The combination of a pair of abutting rails, {ish-plates fitted to the rails, the latter and the Yfish-plates having registering perforations, bolts passing through the perforations and having threaded ends, and nuts litted to said threaded ends and bearing against one of the Y[ish-plates, .the ends of the bolts opposite the threaded ends having heads shaped for engagement by a wrench and tapered surfaces which taper inwardly from said said heads toward the threaded ends,"said tapered surfaces being adapted to lit solidly against the perforations in the 'lishplate opposite the one against which said nuts bear, the diameter of each bolt-head being less than the greatest diameter of the said tapered portion.

The combination of a pair of abutting rails, Yfish-plates fitted against the rails, the

' lso having an inwardlyetapering surface beflatter andv the fish-plates having registering tween said head and the threaded portion,

perforations, bolts passing through the perforations and carrying nuts, the inner surfaces of the nuts and the outer sur'lace of the adjacent fislipl.ate being directly corrugated,

rails, fish-plates v[itted against the rails, thev latter and the lislnplates having registering perfor-ations, bolts passing through the perforations and carrying nuts, the inner surfaces of the nuts and the outer surface ofthe adjacent fish-plate beingl corrugated, the corrugations being angular in cross-section and blunt at their outer ends, whereby when the nuts engage the fish-plates the corrugated surfaces thereof will be wedged together.

8. A bolt Yfor use in rail-joints, having one end exteriorly threaded, the opposite end thereof being provided with a head to re ceive a suitable turning implement, the bolt between the head and threaded end thereof being provided with an inwardly-tapering portion and the diameter of the head being less than the greatest diameter of said tapered portion.

9. A bolt for use in rail-joints, having an eXteriorly-threaded portion, a head, and an inwardly-tapered surface between the head and threaded portion, said head being shaped to receive an implement for turning the bolt and the diameter of the head being less than the greatest diameter of said tapered portion.

l0. The combination of abutting rails, a iish-plate against the rails and having corrugations extending across the joint between the same, bolts, the fish-plate and rails being perforated to receive the bolts, and nuts upon the bolts, having corrugated surfaces to engage the corrugated surface of the .lishplate.

1].. A fish-plate for rails, having its outer surface directly and continuously corrugated.

12. A rail-joint involving a fish-plate and a bolt having a tapered portion, thc lishplate having an opening to receive said tapered portion, and the bolt having a head constructed to be engaged by a wrench. to permit the turning of the bolt, the head being of a size to enter said opening.

13. The combination of abutting rails, a hsh-plate against the rails, and a bolt, the fish-plate and rails .having registering openings to receive the bolt, the latter being tapered to lit in a hole in one of the Vfish-plates, the other fish-plate being roughened, and a nut on the bolt, also roughened, to engage the other roughened surface, the bolt having a head adjacent the tapered portion thereof to enter the opening that receives such tapered portion.

IOO

14. A boit for use in rail-joints, having n testimony whereof I have hereunto se one end exteriorly threaded, the opposite my hand in presence of two subscribing witend thereof being provided with a polygonal nesses.

head to receive a wrench the bolt between l ,T the head and threaded end thereof being2 HOSEA ALLER' provided with an inwardly-tapering portion, fitnessesz and the diameter of the head being less than HEATH SUTHERLAND,

the greatest diameter of the tapered portion. l BRUCE S. ELLIOTT. 

